【SDGs】
The Fiber Fabrics That Can Collect the Electromagnetic Radiation and Mechanical Energy of the Human Body National Chung Hsing University’s Innovative R&D Are Published in the Top Journal
 
The environment is full of the electromagnetic waves, and the surrounding electrical appliances (such as the computers, TVs, refrigerators, etc.) also have electromagnetic radiation when they are used. These electromagnetic radiations may even be harmful to the human body. The pregnant women will buy the anti-electromagnetic wave clothing to prevent the electromagnetic radiation. Is it possible to collect the energy of electromagnetic radiation from the environment to charge the mobile phone? At the same time, is it possible to use the body movements to generate electricity?
 
Associate Professor Ying-Chih Lai and student Hung-Wei Lu of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of National Chung Hsing University, using the liquid metal and special polymers, developed a power generation spinning thread that can collect the environmental electromagnetic wave radiation and human kinetic energy for personal use in the small electronics. The research results were published in the top international energy journal "Advanced Energy Materials" in March of this year (2021), and was selected as a VIP article and journal cover story at the same time.
 
Ying-Chih Lai said that the battery life is the Achilles' heel for the Internet of Things, personal electronics, and wearable electronics. Everyone must have encountered a situation where it is necessary to use a mobile phone, but the mobile phone is out of power. However, unlimited increase of the battery capacity will cause the safety problems. The environment is full of the electromagnetic radiation, especially when the electrical appliances are in use. They will generate the electromagnetic waves, and the human body has the various body and muscle movements all the time. Therefore, he thought about why not provide the energy collected from the environment to the personal electronics and wearable electronics.
 
Ying-Chih Lai used the liquid metal robot in the Hollywood science fiction film "Terminator" as an idea generation. Two years ago, he was inspired by the robot in the movie to develop a soft robot with a self-repairing skin. After that, he continued to think about whether liquid metal can be worn on the human body. Can the energy such as the environmental electromagnetic radiation and body kinetic energy be collected to generate electricity? Through this idea generation, after one year of research, a liquid metal spinning thread that can collect energy has been developed.
 
Ying-Chih Lai pointed out that the liquid metal gallium indium eutectic is non-toxic and odorless. It is liquid at room temperature while retaining the metal characteristics. With the special polymers, it can be made into a liquid metal spinning thread that can be worn on the body. The liquid metal spinning thread can collect the electromagnetic radiation from the various electrical appliances (such as the laptops, refrigerators, TVs, etc.) and convert it into electrical energy. For example, recovering the electromagnetic radiation from a laptop for 20 seconds can generate a voltage of about 20 volts. In addition to recovering the electromagnetic radiation from the electrical appliances, it can also collect the body kinetic energy. For example, when an arm moves for 5 minutes, a voltage of 20 volts can be generated. This recovered energy can drive small electronics such as the watches and computers. In addition to generating electricity, a spinning thread made of liquid metal can also be made into a human-machine interface for the smart clothes. It can be used as a self-generating sensor to detect the gestures, play music, and control the computers to play games.
 
Ying-Chih Lai said that the latest discovery that liquid metal and its spinning thread can recover the electromagnetic radiation and collect human kinetic energy will open up the new possibilities for the development of the Internet of Things, personal electronics, and wearable electronics in the future.
 
 
Figure. The Fiber Fabrics That Can Collect the Electromagnetic Radiation and Mechanical Energy of the Human Body National Chung Hsing University’s Innovative R&D Are Published in the Top Journal